 "The seal of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Reuters")
The Trump administration said on Friday that it will revoke legal protections for 530,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans in the US, paving the way for their mass deportation in about a month. The move is part of President Donald Trump’s broader immigration crackdown.
The US Department of Homeland Security has announced that it will make them eligible for deportation in about a month.
The order affects around 532,000 people from these countries who arrived in the US since October 2022 with financial sponsors. They were granted two-year permits to live and work in the country. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said their legal status will end on 24 April, or 30 days after the notice is published in the Federal Register.
This policy change impacts those already in the US under the humanitarian parole programme. It follows an earlier Trump administration move to end what it called the “broad abuse” of this programme, which has historically allowed people fleeing war or political instability to stay in the US temporarily.
During his campaign, President Donald Trump promised to deport millions of people living in the US illegally. After assuming office, he has also restricted legal immigration policies, making it difficult to migrate to the country legally.
Before the new order, migrants in the programme could stay until their parole expired, but the administration had already stopped processing asylum, visa, and other applications that could help them stay longer. The decision is now being challenged in federal courts.
Under the Biden administration, up to 30,000 people per month from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela were allowed to stay in the US for two years with work eligibility. In return, Mexico agreed to take back the same number from those countries, as the US had limited ability to deport them.
Impact Shorts
View AllCuba generally accepted one deportation flight per month. Haiti, which has faced ongoing unrest, accepted many deportation flights, especially after a migrant surge in Texas in 2021.
Biden’s strategy to open legal immigration channels
Since late 2022, over half a million people have entered the US through the policy known as CHNV. It was part of Biden’s strategy to open legal immigration channels while tightening border security.
With inputs from AP